This collection includes the manuscript, Water Mills of Texas on early agriculture, and one personal letter to David Schultz from Dudley T. Smith explaining the manuscript contents.

The manuscript, unfortunately, was not completed or published before Atkins's passing and was his last major project among his many great histories. It remains unedited and "Contains considerable information about early agriculture, the use of horsepower and mechanization, and the processing of wheat and other grains into flour. The photographs are unique and the text gives insights into early foundations of industrialization in Texas- mostly along "fall lines" where numerous rivers in Texas dropped in elevation and water power could be harnessed."

The manuscript totals 69 pages, bibliography included, with the first-page giving a perspective about the paper and its goals.